Hitomi left the auditorium feeling deflated and tired. Not only had she fallen asleep while she should have been taking notes, but she had been caught by Mr Leckie her lecturer. He had given her the warning that if she didn't start paying attention she would be dropped from the course and would have to start all over again. The Graphic Communications course really hadn't been the one for her. But she needed it if she was going to be a…a… Stopping in the middle of the emptying cafeteria Hitomi stood transfixed. She had been sure for months that she wanted to be an architect. She wanted to create beautiful buildings, just like the ones on… No, she wanted to build Gaea right there on Earth. But now, she didn't really know what she wanted to do.
Wandering to a table, Hitomi sat down and placed her bag on the surface. It was a simple wicker weave basket type handbag with a few notebooks and pads inside. Staring down at it tiredly, Hitomi pulled out a sketchpad and opened it. In amongst the figure compositions and still lives, there were sketches of beast men, Asturian dresses, guymelefs and the Fanelian countryside. Never once had she been able to draw Van, although had attempted many times. She just couldn't bring herself to do it; she just couldn't get it right. She'd been able to live for five years only seeing him in her mind and it had been a painful existence at that. Why should she torture herself remembering every line, every fold, every dimple in his tanned skin, older than years through sadness and defeat? Why should she depress herself thinking about his eyes, dark, wild, hungry and breath taking in their power? Why should she cause herself heart ach by thinking about his hair thick and unruly, sleek and soft? And his lips; broad, tanned and lonely. Why should she long for him so? Because she loved him and knew that she could only live so long before she would break down in pity for herself and longing for him.
A hand waved in front of her face "Hel-lo-o? Are you alive Hitomi?" A tall blonde haired girl stared down at her with a quizzical look on her face. Hitomi smiled, it was Kyoko. Kyoko was in her social sciences class and sat beside her. They had become good friends over the short while they had been at university together. Kyoko was really the only friend Hitomi had had since Yukari and Amano had left two years ago to live in England with Amano's father.
"Sorry Kyoko, I was away in a dream world" Hitomi smiled up, but was aware that Kyoko wasn't listening to her. "Kyoko?"
The blonde girl was staring at the pad in Hitomi's hands "Did you draw those?" Hitomi was about to nod and explain when Kyoko swiped it from and engrossed, started flicking through the pages. "These are good, I mean really good, wow Hitomi you never told me you could draw like that, and with such imagination" She added with an incredulous chuckle as she flashed Hitomi the picture she was talking about. It was a black and white sketch of Escaflowne. The shorthaired girl reached out and tried desperately to grab the evidence from her friend before she could see any more. But it was too late; artfully dodging Hitomi's frenzied efforts, Kyoko reached the pages and pages of drawing of a dark haired young man.
"Ooooo Hitomi, you never told me you had a boyfriend!" She teased taking the seat opposite the exhausted artist. "heheh and what's with the wings? Is it a twisted weird little fantasy of yours?" She added with a bit too much playful venom.
Hitomi wrenched the paper away, shoved it in her bag and took off out of the hall. Kyoko leapt up and chased her shouting apologies as she did.
Hitomi Kanzaki flopped down on her bed as she did so many times after class. She was nearing the age of twenty and was one of the older students. Unfortunate events in her past had made it difficult for her to attend university sooner. Her mother died when she was seventeen because she had never really recovered from Hitomi's loss, even when she had returned. So from then on Hitomi had had to work overtime at a sushi bar in order to save up enough to pay for her tuition fees. With Yukari and Amano's departure, she was free agent with no one but herself to care about. Oh life on Gaea had never looked so rosy and Hitomi had found herself trying to spiritually contact Van more often, but it was hard as he was very busy and thought of her less often these days. The idea that he would have given in to the pressure of his advisors and married someone scared her to her very core. She would die if Van left her here on earth by herself. At night she would comfort herself with thoughts of how he would look now, as he always appeared in her visions the way she had left him. Maybe he would look exactly like Folken but with dark hair. No, Van was different from Folken; he would look more like his father. She remembered Gohal from a vision. Yes Van would look like his father she thought and tried to picture it, but all she ever saw was the little boy she left behind. Hitomi rolled over, kicking her shoes and socks off. Hearing the emptiness they left after falling made her heart wrench. Maybe if she'd valued all the contact she'd had with him while she'd been on Gaea, maybe if she'd taken more time to listen to his heart beat when he'd flown them from the pit of lava. Maybe if she'd done more to help him in his pain, she might not be feeling this emptiness now. Tears spilled from her open lifeless eyes as the phone rang and bleeped after a few tones. It was Kyoko's voice apologising and trying to sound cheerful leaving her message on the answering machine. Why did Hitomi have to leave, she'd lost everything and was all alone in this small two-bit apartment in a horrible dingy area of the city, her childhood left behind and the fairytale land of her true love so far off.
Then Hitomi did something she hadn't done since she was a little girl. Dragging herself off her covers, Hitomi knelt at the side of her bed. Clasping her hands she began to pray. "Please God, I know that we haven't talked much and I have never been a Christian…what with my tarot cards and everything…but…I have nothing left to live for and no one else to love me…please if it's possible…send me back to Gaea…I want to be with Van…I want" Hitomi trailed off into a howl of sobs and tears, collapsing in the darkness of the room. Small sparks of light danced about the room, blue and gold. Playing and dancing as they searched, finding the girl they came together and a huge beam of blue light descended into the room. Kanzaki felt her hair begin to rise and she jerked her head up to find that the room around her was drifting away. She was going back! She was going home! She was going back to Gaea! She was going to do what her grandmother hadn't! She was going back to Van!
Van squinted at the horizon, the sun was setting as he and his soldiers returned from Asturia on horseback. It was a warm and comfortable night and the men were in high spirits returning home to visit their wives and children. Van himself sighed wistfully, it would be nice to go back to the castle and sleep in a proper comfortable bed. He'd been more or less living inside his armour for the past week, having visited Queen Milerna. She'd allowed Fanelia and extension on their loans, which was very much needed. With that sorted out he could get a good night's rest and start worrying about the harvest in the morning. If only he didn't have to go back to her. Feliciana. Feliciana appeared from Bazram, claiming to have been betrothed to Folken before his mysterious disappearance and having lived in a convent for most of her life. She didn't really seem like the type of woman to have been a nun most of her life, Feliciana had a taste for the good life and an eye for luxury. Van's advisors had taken it upon themselves to push Van towards her as a suitable Queen. (Much more suitable than the likes of Vari or Hitomi) Ah Hitomi. Like a breaker upon the sand, clearing his dusty tired thoughts away. Her beautiful green eyes were shining with tears; that was how he'd last seen her in the flesh. Her short brown hair dancing around her face in wispy waves like the tide upon the shore. Lord, how he wanted her there, to soothe his mind and his heart, to keep the nightmares at bay. Van no longer had the strength to keep going much longer. In his teenage years, fighting the enemy had almost killed him on many occasions, just from the sheer stress of it all. But the mere thought of redemption had kept him going, his honour and duty had kept him alive. She had kept him alive. Now, life seemed like a very large stone; round and dull, never moving, never changing, alone.
His thoughts were interrupted as a ram's horn was sounded from the gates of Fanelia signalling the King's arrival. With the cool evening breeze in his hair, Van was glad to be home. As his yak bellowed gently beneath him, the young king privately let himself imagine Hitomi behind him on the mount with her arms around his waist and her chin on his shoulder enjoying the beauty of Fanelia with him. Arriving inside the familiar ancient wooden gates, Van dismounted and expected the usual welcome from his feline friend. Sure enough pushing through the women and children come to welcome their husbands and fathers home, she came bounding. A full- grown woman of seventeen: still galloping on her four legs and still glomping him. Shaking himself off he took her to her feet from the dusty ground.
"Oh Lord Van, I hate when you have to go away I'm so lonely here without you" She whined still holding onto his collar preciously.
He stared down at her with the fondness of a brother and stroked her hair "Did she look after you alright?" The slender cat-girl nodded sullenly, but said no more about the matter.
"I'll go and prepare your bath, you stink!" She said playful running off towards the palace. Meryl: seventeen years old and still as cheeky as she ever was. Van shook his head and his smile drooped. Hitomi both of us need you, can't you see that?
A/N: Hey there, the final touches have been made to the prologue…so Hitomi is on her way to Gaea as we speak…what sort of welcome awaits her in Fanelia…and who is Feliciana? Ohhh…Excited-ness!
